


Yet Face to Face

by Devilc



Category: DCU, Outsiders
Genre: Angst, Gen, Mindfuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-02-08
Updated: 2010-02-08
Packaged: 2017-10-07 02:57:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/60694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Devilc/pseuds/Devilc
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the aftermath of the Outsiders mission with Checkmate, Owen meets the new boss and makes an impression.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Yet Face to Face

**Author's Note:**

> This was written when promo art made it look like Owen would be part of the new Outsiders, before Tony Bedard announced that no he would not be, and before the _Five Of A Kind: Captain Boomerang &amp; Nightwing_ issue saw the light of day.
> 
> It was part one of a much longer planned story, another fragment of which will probably see the light of day. (It wasn't joss'd quite the way this was.)

They haven't even landed in Switzerland when Nightwing calls the Outsiders into a huddle and announces that he's stepping down as the team's leader and that Batman will be taking over.

_Whatever_.

_He_ then announces that he's going to restructure the team and that not everybody here is guaranteed a slot. That they'll have to prove themselves to _him_, prove that they deserve a place.

Though he can't really see Batman's eyes, Owen's got a feeling they're boring right into him.

_Whatever. Squared._

Owen hunkers down on a bench and spends about 15 minutes staring at nothing in particular before he gets up and heads for the back of the plane where Sasha is. Jo, her Knight, is there (and Owen would still fuck her in a hot minute, even though he knows that her coming on to him in that bar was just part of the set up) and so is _he_.

_He_ gives Owen the evil-eye, but so fucking what?

Sasha sees this and flashes a bleary grin at him. "Most men would've put their tails between their legs and gone running," she murmurs in a raspy voice.

Owen crouches next to her (_oh God did that bastard do a number on her_) and takes her hand into his. "I'm not most men." He smiles at her. "Besides, it's not like he could, you know, kill me with a dirty look. My last roommate? She could."

Sasha gives a wheeze that passes for laughter. _He_ doesn't react. Not that Owen expected him to.

"Anyway," Owen continues, "I just want to say that you are one of the coolest, bravest people I've ever met --" she squeezes his hand slightly "and if you ever need me to do something for you, like say, make a _huge_ omelet, I am _so_ there."

"What makes you think you'll have the free time?" _He_ asks.

"You don't roll with my kind," Owen replies, matter of fact.

"Don't be so sure," Sasha mutters.

Owen squeezes her hand and then brings it to his lips and kisses it.

Jo stirs herself and says, "My Queen needs to rest. Both of you --" she gestures towards the front of the plane.

Her French accent goes straight to Owen's groin. He wonders if it was all an act, or if she's a bit of a Cougar for real.

He rises and is half way back to his seat when a throat clears practically in his ear, causing him to start. Okay, Owen'll give _him_ that -- he's good.

"What?" Owen's surprised that his voice comes out so calmly.

_He_ pauses and looms over Owen.

Owen's tired and he aches in every bone of his body, because, hey, Egg-Fu gave him a pretty good working over, too, and frankly, he doesn't scare easy. Captain Cold used to try that looming intimidation thing, and he was the sort of guy who _would_ kill you, or permanently maim you, or leave you to die.

"Yes?" he asks again, testy.

"I will debrief you when we land."

"Sure." Owen shrugs and heads for his seat. Rex hands him a tiny little pill and says it's a custom made pain killer. It's magic. Okay, it's actually a tiny bit of Rex, but all of the aches become dull, like background noise, without making Owen feel loopy.

As they're getting off the plane, Tommy, the other Knight, pulls him aside and whispers that he's got brass ones. Owen laughs and says that if he had brass ones he'd be asking Jo out on another date. They both laugh.

~oo(0)oo~

Owen begins his debriefing by giving Batman an an ear full of why _he_ doesn't scare Owen.

Prison? Been there, done that.

Suicide Squad? He's already done that, too. Waller sent them to Kahndaq to take down Black Adam.

Beatings? Obviously he's learned to take a licking and keep on ticking.

Ruin his life? Nope. Owen did a bang up job of that all on his own. And it's not like he's got a family or loved ones to care, so there's nobody to shame.

"They should give you a Green Lantern Ring." Sarcasm coats the words.

Owen laughs. "No. I've heard of some of the stuff they have to face and that shit scares me."

And then he tells _him_ every single thing that he can remember about what happened. Including what a bastard Nightwing was, how he let him and Sasha get tortured -- for hours -- When he had the means to escape the cell at any time.

~~His~~ Batman's mouth tightens at that. So. He is human.

And, mission accomplished.

His time with the Rogues taught him that -- never reward anybody for being an asshole.

~oo(0)oo~

To Owen's surprise, he makes the cut. Mostly he's relieved that he gets to keep his apartment and that the paychecks will keep on coming. He laughs his ass off when he sees there's a 401k plan.

He trains hard. Harder than he thought he would. He has nightmares about Batman demanding another 10 curls/pushups/squats/whatever incredibly hard and painful task he's doing.

Owen knows that Batman enters his apartment at will. He thought it nothing more than typical snooping until the day he comes home and all the twinkies are gone. His fridge and cupboards overflow with various kinds of healthy, "whole", and organic foods. On the kitchen counter is a printout with a meal plan and suggested recipes. A note in Batman's insufferably neat handwriting informs him that he may also have 2 pints of gelato and one sixpack of beer a week.

(_Oh, how sweet of his Batness_.)

Sure enough, behind the whole grain bread are six bottles of Sam Adams. The freezer shows one pint of peach gelato and another of mocha fudge -- his favorite flavors.

And that's when Owen actually starts being afraid of Batman.

Because how the hell did he find _that_ out?! Owen hasn't had ice cream in weeks.

**Author's Note:**

> Has a sequel of a sort in [Downside Up](http://archiveofourown.org/works/60697).


End file.
